Short-rotation coppice: opportunities and challenges for sustainable biomass
INBO spent four years investigating the sustainability of short-rotation coppice (KOH) as part of the AD-LIBIO project. This project, funded by the Energy Transition Fund, looked at the possibility of making biofuel from wood. This wood could be produced quickly and sustainably through the KOH system, where fast-growing trees such as poplar and willow are harvested every few years. We looked at the effects of KOH on biodiversity, ecosystem services, landscape and society in general. Three publications resulted:
- Evaluation of opportunities, barriers and impacts of KOH in Belgium
- Spatial trade-off analysis of KOH and its impacts on ecosystem services and biodiversity
- Guidelines and strategies for the management of KOH, with a view to integration into agricultural landscapes
We concluded that it is important to consider the sustainability of KOH at both local and landscape scales. KOH can enrich the landscape ecologically, but mainly as part of agroforestry or as a small landscape element. Because although large-scale forms of KOH yield a larger amount of biomass, they enter into competition with food production because they take up land. Large-scale and intensive systems are then only possible if accompanied by a transition from animal to plant proteins (the ‘protein shift’) and rethinking the farming system.
On a local scale, personal choices come into play. The motivation to choose KOH is not only economic; ecological and social values also play a role. Appropriate legislation, financial support and knowledge sharing are essential to remove barriers for farmers. Only then can KOH play a full role in the transition to sustainable energy and agriculture, with benefits for biodiversity, farmers and the landscape as a whole.
Jomme Desair, Julie Callebaut, Louise Vercruysse, Amaury Sonneville, Maarten Stevens, Salma Elahmadi, Marijke Steenackers, Francis Turkelboom, Lieven De Smet
Image above: willows (photo by Lars Soerink - Vildaphoto)